Journal

Journal

Here is a selection of a photographs from Abjeez 2015 concert at Johnny D's in Somerville. Abjeez are two sisters (Safoura and Melody Safavi) who create music that they call World Pop. Based in Sweden, perform internationally.

Neighborhoods surrounding the Smith street, Brooklyn have been celebrating Bastille Day; the French national holiday; for more than a decade. Bastille Day, marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a French prison, on July 14, 1789 and the beginning of the French Revolution.

Smith Street was transformed into 16 sandy courts to host the annual Pétanque tournament, a bocce-like French game that’s played with three metal balls and a smaller wooden ball.

The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is the oldest winter bathing organization in the U.S. and every New Years Day holds the winter plunge which attracts thousands of participants. Some call them insane to hit the 42 degree water, but I found them to be a group of passionate fun loving people that know how to celebrate the new year. More importantly they showed sense of fearlessness, courage and togetherness that sets a special tone for their remainder of the year.

I found myself to not just be the photographer that captures the event but also a participant as I found their excitement drew me into water up to almost my waist level without even thinking twice about it. I felt and shared their enthusiasm and experienced that there is a very thin line between being perceived normal vs insane.

On Saturday November 2nd 2013, RedSox paraded from the Green Monster to the Charles River via 25 duck boats. Well over one million people attended the celebration. I took the T from Woodland Station into Copley Square. Got off Copley station and walked to Government Center. After parade ended, I walked back to Copley Square.

Everyone was in celebration mood. It was great seeing children's excitement in the streets. Everyone looked for ways to get the best view by climbing the poles, standing on street barrels or sitting on their parent or partner's shoulder. In one case, the woman with a large Red Sox soft bat, sitting on shoulder of a man, was laughing and saying "he is not even my boyfriend". I noticed a few that may have had too many drinks by 10AM, there was lots of pushing, shoving and laughing. Great event.

On October 19, 2013, Creative Time and the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum presented Between the Door and the Street, a Social Art work by artist Suzanne Lacy. Over 300 participants who represent a cross-section of ages, backgrounds, and perspectives–gathered on the stoops along Park Place, a residential block in Brooklyn, and engaged in conversations about a variety of social issues. Many related to gender politics today. The event attracted over a thousand of residence from the Prospect Height neighborhood and its surrounding to listen and eventually engage in some of the discussions. I was fortunate to be in Brooklyn at the time to attend and photograph the event.

Mass Central Rail from Waltham to Hudson is a section of unused central Mass. line that had been chartered in 1868 and was discontinued in 1997. The MBTA owns the 23 miles line and recently there are discussion on making portion of the line bike and run trail. I became interested to photograph the trail and its surroundings. As I walked the trail, I envisioned how things may have been years ago and spotted marks of past, that has been preserved, along the way.

Historic Brooklyn Navy Yard had remained a big mystery for me in the past few years that I have been working on Brooklyn project. Even though many industries are using the yard, the yard is kept well guarded which gives a sense of secretly as if warships are still being built there.

Brooklyn Navy Yard Center (BLDG 92) and Turnstile Tours have begun offering a seasonal photography tour of the Yard. The tour is two hours and stops at three locations in the Yard. Two hours is not enough time to fully explore the area but its sufficient to get a sense of the space and how things used to be in the past.

"Što Te Nema?" is a ritual that occurs annually on July 11th in public places across the world. The public participates by placing fildzani- a small handle-less traditional coffee cup on the ground and filling them with Bosnian kafa prepared throughout the day. Waiting for missing people from Srebrenica genocide to come and have their cup of Kafa, its a remembrance, a global shared ritual that brings a blank feeling to participants: Yes genocide happens, Yes in this day and age.

Madiba restaurant located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is a unique, warm and friendly place for the locals. “Our concept is steeped in the tradition of a Shebeen, the informal dining halls in South African townships. These gathering places are where South Africans leave the work day behind to embrace joy, laughter, community, and a little beer to boot.” Says Mark & Jenny Henegan, the owners of Madiba.

My friend Maciek Schejbal, a percussionist who has played South African music for many years in South Africa, asked me to take some photos during one of his performances at Madiba. It was a memorable evening and I got to appreciate the food, live music and opportunity to capture the happening.
More Photos from Madiba

Port Clyde in Maine is a beautiful small town (four hours north of Boston) and home of some of the lobster fishermen. I had an opportunity to sail along with Ty Babb; an experienced lobster fisherman; on one of his work days. For me it was a unique experience which I welcomed. The day turned out to be a memorable day, since an hour after leaving the coast, the ocean caught up with me and despite all the advanced preparation, it brought me to my knees for most of the day. Still I managed to capture a few photographs; to expose the work and effort of lobster fishermen in a cold day in April.

In my past, I always lived in urban dwellings. Not even having access to a small garden, I never had the opportunity to develop a relationship with nature the way many children do by playing outdoors, climbing trees, or helping in their parents' gardens. I was rarely exposed to the beauty of watching a plant grow from a seedling, or even the aroma of fresh flowers, grass, or soil. When we traveled, it was as if on a mission to get from one city to another, ending up in yet another apartment or hotel room. On the road, gazing through the window of a moving train or car, I watched the scenes of nature pass by at a distance in a state of curious detachment. Even though only separated by a thin, transparent barrier, the great outdoors still felt foreign to me, like peering into a whole other world on the opposite side of an aquarium glass. I often recall those cloudy images from my youth and it makes me wonder why we never stopped to connect with nature.

Even if for just an instant, there is a special magic about those moments when one makes a connection with the great outdoors; when we are given that rare opportunity to acknowledge the quiet wisdom and beauty of Mother Nature. I have grown to appreciate those moments, but there is still a separation from nature that lives on within me. Those fleeting memories and images from my past have inspired this project, compelling me to create reflections that resemble them. The photos in this series were taken the same way the original memories were: through the window of a moving vehicle.

The region of Cinque Terre in northwestern Italy is a true gem. These "five lands" situated on the coast of the Ligurian sea provide an opportunity to seemingly step back in time. The timeless beauty of this region draws the attention of throngs of tourists every year, providing a stark contrast to the peaceful simplicity of the local lifestyle. For hundreds of years the warm-hearted local people have lived in these five villages that sprinkle the stunning landscapes in perfect harmony with the land that supports them. The villages are eternally exquisite, each seemingly gazing at another like a mirror, reflecting each one's beauty and purity. Just as one might see a rainbow of different colored garments hanging over the walkway to dry, the brightly-colored houses dot the majestic hills that rise out of the sea.

After a brief trip to Cinque Terre in 2007, the stunning land- and seascapes kept beckoning me to make a return trip until I finally got my chance in 2012. For five glorious days I ventured out early each morning to avoid the crowds of eager tourists, hiking from one village to another, camera in hand, attempting to capture the essence of the stunning simplicity that the people of Cinque Terre share with their homeland.

Leonard Paul "Lenny" Zakim (November 17, 1953 - December 2, 1999) was a Jewish-American religious and civil rights leader in Boston. The Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River was named to honor him.
Zakim bridge has a unique design which has found its own space in Boston landscape. This photo series reveals the effect of Zakim Bridge on the scenery of surrounding neighborhoods.

On June 27, 1835, New Hampshire chartered the Boston & Maine Railroad, by 1900 the B&M operated some 2,300 miles of track in northern New England and remained the dominant railroad of the northern New England region till 1964. I found one the B&M old trains parked on the rails near Sullivan Square in Boston. I decided to jump on the train and walk through the train carts not knowing what to expect. I love the unknown.